1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to musical instruments and, more particularly, to a combination drum brush and drumstick which can be converted from a conventional drum brush to one with a dowel centered within and running parallel to the brush bristles by slidably extending the dowel from the drum brush handle. The dowel is constructed of either nylon, wood, bamboo, metal, plastic or a combination thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are two broad categories of drumsticksxe2x80x94the stick type and the brush type. Typically, the stick type drumstick is constructed of wood and is elongated and cylindrical in shape with a ball-like head formed at one end. The end of the stick with the ball-like head is used to produce a hard and crisp sound when striking a drum. The brush type drumstick, or drum brush, is typically constructed of thin metal wire filaments which are secured to one end of a tubular handle. The wire filaments, or bristles, are pliable and produce a soft, jazzy, swish-like sound when striking a drum.
Stick type drumsticks can be further categorized into one of two subcategories. The first consists of variations of a single elongated stick with a ball-like head formed at one end. Examples from this group include U.S. Des. Pat. No. 436,616 to Kaiser, U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,503 to Petillo, U.S. Des. Pat. No. 278,634 to Anderson, and the German patent DE3902429 to Rau. This type of drumstick is limited in that the type of sound it produces can not be varied, nor can it produce a blended sound, i.e., a sound produced when more than one type of stick simultaneously strikes a drum. Instead it is limited to producing one type of soundxe2x80x94at clear and crisp percussive sound.
The second subcategory of stick type drumsticks consists of those that are actually bundles of sticks. Typically, a drumstick in this subcategory is constructed of a plurality of cylindrically-shaped wooden rods secured to a wooden handle. Examples from this group included U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,671 to Stromberg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,527 to Pruitt, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,077 to Nicolosi. Due to the interaction of the rods when striking a drum, this type of drumstick typically provides a percussive sound that differs from that of a single stick drumstick. Additionally, as taught by the Nicolosi patent, the sound produced by this type of drumstick can be varied slightly by restricting movement among the rods with a slidable sleeve. By sliding the sleeve away from the handle, it increasingly acts to bind the rods together. However, although movement among the rods can be gradually restricted by binding the rods together, movement can not be enhanced because the interstices between the rods are incapable of being increased. Notably, this type of drumstick is not capable of producing a blended sound.
Drum brushes, which make up the second broad category of drumsticks, can also be further categorized into one of two subcategories. The first subcategory consists of traditional drum brushes, which are typically constructed of wire bristles secured to a handle. Examples from this group included U.S. Pat. No. 2,485,823 to Goldrich, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,420,134 to Cordes. Like the single stick type drumstick, the traditional drum brush is limited in that the sound it produces can not be varied and it can not produce a blended sound.
The second subcategory of drum brushes consists of those designed to produce a blended sound by allowing more than one material to simultaneously strike a drum. Examples of this group include U.S. Des. Pat. No. 281,785 to Balter et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,839 to Liedtke et al. The design patent to Balter shows what appears to be a single stick type of drumstick with bristles secured to the stick in a manner such that the bristles partially, surround the ball-like head of the stick. However, although this may allow for a blended sound it does not allow for variation of sound. Similarly, the patent to Liedtke discloses a drum brush on which pellets are attached to some of the bristles. The pellets are attached away from the ends of the bristles thereby allowing the user to strike a drum with only the bristles or with a combination of the bristles and pellets. However, to vary the sound, the angle at which the brush strikes the drum must be changed.
Thus, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is capable of producing a variation of blended sounds without requiring the user to change the manner in which the drumstick or drum brush is held or used. Thus a combination drumstick/brush solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The present invention is a combination drum brush and drumstick which can be converted from a conventional drum brush to one with a dowel centered within and running parallel to the brush bristles by slidably extending the dowel from the drum brush handle. The dowel is constructed of either nylon, wood, bamboo, metal, plastic or a combination thereof.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to allow a user to produce more than one percussive sound at the same time.
It is another principal object of the invention to allow a user to vary the type of sound that is produced without having to, change the manner in which the drumstick or drum brush is held.
It is a further principal of the invention to allow a user to transition from a traditional drum brush to a combination of a drum brush and a drumstick without having to put one stick down to pick up another.
Still another object of the invention is to employ a retractable rod in order to vary the type of sound produced by a combination drumstick/brush.
Additionally, it is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.